


Will You Marry Me?

by The_Weeping_Reaper



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Engagement, M/M, Nervousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22048609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Weeping_Reaper/pseuds/The_Weeping_Reaper
Summary: Well..it's happening. Three years after Tarek met Azlingua, he planned on marrying Mephisto. Problem is, Mephisto had also been planning on marrying Tarek. Who pops the question first?
Relationships: Tarek/Mephistopheles (The Arcana)





	Will You Marry Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, look. Mun is a sap for this shit and with the way I left off my last fic I couldn't leave myself hanging. This is more self indulgent than I realized, but oh well. Up she goes!!
> 
> Another fic of mine In Which Verne Catches Feelings And Won't Admit To Shit
> 
> It feels like I do switch between first and second person, but I'm not!! Mephisto is not there with Tarek and Talia, he heard about it from Lia later!

It's been three years. My date with Tarek was coming up, and I was a nervous wreck. I was with my sister, who had come down with a nasty spring cold. She was getting treated by Julian, and he was supposed to stop by to make sure she was doing well before his shift.

I was on the edge of her bed, and she was in awe over the ring I had picked for Tarek. The band was a burnished rose gold, with a large sapphire in the center of the stone arrangement. On each side were three diamonds, arranged to look like leaves around the center stone.

"Oh Mephisto! It's -- he's -- oh my god, you're serious!" Wyverne was at a loss for words, a tissue held to her nose as she stared at the ring. She looked at me, bleary eyes holding so much warmth and love.

"Its such a shame I'm sick, or I'd love to witness this," she told me, handing me the ring. "He's gonna say yes, I'm sure of it."

A soft knock on the door stopped me from protesting my concerns. Julian was in the doorway, dressed in baby blue scrubs with his white coat and stethoscope around his neck. Wyverne's cheeks were red, and I couldn't tell if it was from the Doc or her fever.

"Hey, how you holding up?" He laid a hand on her forehead, checked her pulse. She swallowed thickly, blew her nose. He sat on the edge of the bed, his knees brushing mine.

"I...I'm fine," she said softly. A light kitten sneeze into her elbow, then a look of instant regret as she pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. A soft groan, and she leaned against Julian.

I rubbed her knee, and she covered my hand with her own. Julian rubbed her upper arm, kissing her crown. She grumbled, muttering a string of various curses under her breath. He helped her under the covers and repeated doctors orders.

"Please, you need your rest. Keep drinking, you need to stay hydrated. I'll check back tomorrow. Try to eat something today, ok?" She nodded, and he kissed her warm forehead, smoothing her bangs away before leaving.

"Why don't you two just go out already?" I teased, playfully tweaking her nose. "I saw the eyes you made at him. You need to ask."

"I-I do not! It's just your imagination you twig!" She playfully scolded me, smacking me when she had the strength. I kissed her temple, her cheek, her warm forehead. I petted her head before leaving for the day, teaching self defense.

◇◇◇

Tarek, meanwhile, was at the shop with his sister Talia and Vega, with Asra helping customers. Tarek had been just as nervous, running his hands through his hair. Talia placed her hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her.

"What's gotten my baby brother so worried?" She asked, letting his gaze wander.

"I….I'm nervous...about...a proposal." His voice was soft, with a hint of a shake to it. In front of him was a box, small and smooth. 

Puzzled, Vega took it and opened it. Inside was a ring, a polished rose gold band stacked on each other. One band had a row of small diamonds, three in the center, and one on each side. The secondary band had a very large, oval diamond in the center. It was surrounded by a filigreed ring of smaller diamonds. Two diamonds were on either side of the centerpiece to complete the look.

"Oh my gods….Tarek," Vega whispered, almost lost to the din of the shop. "You -- its -- oh my…." She was at a loss, knowing who it was for, and a warm smile spread across her face. "Oh, he'll love it!"

"You think so?" Tarek looked to her, his lip rolling between his teeth. His teal eyes still held concern, a touch of worry clouding the teal.

Talia took the ringbox in her manicured hands, looking over the ring. It was absolutely gorgeous, and even though she'd only met Meph a handful of times via video chat, she could tell they loved each other very dearly. She gave the box back to Tarek, who stashed it in his pocket.

"I'm sure he'll love it," she told him, soft and smooth. She couldn't resist the urge to tease, though, and a slow smile spread across her lips. Tarek knew that smile, the grin with a little too much teeth for his liking.

Talia went behind him, wrapping her arms around her baby brother's waist. She kissed his hair, and he knew what was coming. A soft childhood chant left her, whispered into his ear, making him turn six shades of red before trying to protest.

"Lia, knock it off! We're not kids!!" Vega laughed, covering her mouth and trying to stifle the giggles. She softly chuckled, pinched his cheek, and let go of him.

"So, how are you going to do this?" Vega asked, once the giggles died down enough to form coherent sentences.

"I was thinking…..at our date in a few days," he told her, running hands through his hair and letting them relax on the back of his neck. "I mean...it'll be romantic enough, right?"

"Yes, it will be." Vega leaned against the counter, her eyes alight. "Do you have your little proposal worked out?"

"I think….?" Tarek was nervous again, the way he played with his first earring was a giveaway. Vega rolled her lip, then took his hand and brought him into the back, telling him he needed to practice a little more before saying anything more.

◇◇◇

It was a day away, and I was extremely nervous. Wyverne had moved herself to the couch to give herself a change of scenery. I was making her a light breakfast, something she could easily eat. She had a steaming mug of tea from Asra in her hands, and she sniffled before speaking.

"Look, it'll go fine!" She said, sounding a little stuffy. "Have you gotten your proposal down?"

"Yes, I do," I told her, bringing over a small plate of food for her. "I hope it all goes well."

"Stop that! It will go great!" She set her mug in the small space created by her legs, and proceeded to eat. "You need to not be such a pessimist."

I sighed, nodding in agreement. She was right, I had to stop feeling like he could reject me. I had to keep an open mind about this. The kids in my class absolutely adored the idea, and I was enthralled about the idea that I was going to ask the man in my locket to marry me.

I watched her set her plate down, and pick up her mug. She took a sip, relaxing in its warmth as she leaned back into the couch. She kept her emeralds closed for a few moments, trying to center herself, and when she opened them she turned her head towards me.

"You'll do great, I promise. You've been in this long enough, he'll most definitely say yes." She placed a hand on my knee, giving it a few weak pats. I looked at her, a small smile on my face.

_Yeah, I can do this! What's the problem!?_

◇◇◇

_SHIT. I am NOT ready._

It was the day of the proposal. Little did I know Tarek was just as nervous as me. I checked my outfit over for perhaps the hundredth time before Wyverne called me for my hair and makeup.

I had one of my nice grey dress shirts on, and a pair of dark jeans for a more casual look. I left my sleeves unrolled for now, I could roll them later if needed. I was starting to wonder if I needed a tie when Wy called me into the bathroom.

She had a lot of makeup scattered on the counter, a usual thing when she wanted to do my makeup. Alongside it was product for my hair, and I had a feeling she would try something big with my hair. She motioned for me to sit, and I did, facing our vanity. She used a headband to pull my hair back, and started with makeup. She applied a tinted moisturizer, knowing I didn't like a lot of foundation. Next was concealer, to hide anything unsightly, but she didn't use it. She applied a light layer of contour, to help bring out my more angular features a touch. 

Next was highlighter, a bright duochrome blue. She loved the insane highlighter colors, and I loved them too. She cleaned up my brows, but didn't do a lot of touchups there. Next were my eyes, and after picking out a more neutral palate, she had me close my eyes and not open them. Wyverne dipped her brush into each color, blending as she went with feather-light touches. 

First was an overall skin tone, then a couple shades of purple, worked into my outer corner. A more neutral, warm toned grey was added on my lid, followed by a shimmering purple towards my outer corner along my lashline and a shimmering teal towards my inner corner along my lashline. My bottom was smoked out with the shimmering teal and purple, and then came eye liner. A neutral gold was applied in a thin line along my upper lashline, and a deep neutral pencil along the waterline. A black mascara was applied, and a smooth, neutral lip was brushed onto my lips. Setting spray was the final touch, and then came my hair.

Next came my hair. Wyverne combed it through, working any tangles free. Once it was smooth, she gathered the hair at my right temple and braided a French braid, grabbing a peacock feather or two to weave in. She had me hold the braid, and she gathered the rest of my hair, pulling it up into a gorgeous, messy peach bun, adding a lovely peacock feather hairpin to complete the look and pin the braid in place.

Wyverne finally let me see myself, and I gasped. I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was, and I hugged her as thanks. She weakly hugged me back, and I helped her put away the makeup, letting her quick spray me with hairspray. I slipped on my shoes, kissed her cheek, and left the house with my overcoat over my arm and my keys in my pocket.

◇◇◇

Talia was dressing up Tarek. She had the darkest wash of jeans he had on the bed, and was ruffling through his closet for a good shirt when he stepped out of the bathroom, towel around his waist and hair damp and mussed.

"There you are! Come here, I need to see something!" Talia motioned for him to come closer, and Tarek did. She held up several shirts to him, and finally chose a pure black, sans The Raven logo.

She brought him back into the bathroom, and started to do his hair and face. She combed back his damp hair, and grabbed a little volumizing mousse for his hair. She worked it through his hair, her nails lightly running along his scalp. Taking the blow dryer and a rounded brush, she dried his hair, brushing the product through and plumping up the inkiness.

Next she took a light foundation, covering his face lightly, blending and smoothing the color. Concealer came next, blending out anything that his sister deemed an imperfection and making the high planes a little brighter. A warm contour lightly accented his cheeks and further carved his nose. Highlighter came next, a bright gold to accent the tan skin.

His eyes were next. A cut crease was in order. She started with neutral colors, light to dark, covering his eyelid. She took his concealer, and covered his eyelid, being careful to leave a ring of dark smoke. The gorgeous teal came next, a bright contrast to warm skin. A glittery blue went in the dead center, accenting the lovely teal. His lower lashline was smoked with a bright purple, and his eyeliner was slightly winged. A nice shade of black on top, and a cute deep nude in the waterline. She finished with a lovely velvet nude lipstick, painting the middle with a nice teal shade for a lovely ombréd effect. Setting spray was last, to lock everything in place.

Talia let Tarek get dressed, then helped him with a choker she had recently gotten him. It was a crushed black velvet band, an upside down crescent moon nestled against the skin just under Tarek's Adam's Apple. She helped him with shoes, biting her lip as he stashed the ringbox in his overcoat. Once he left for the date, she messaged her group chat for a meeting place. No one was missing this.

◇◇◇

Dinner was a lovely affair for us. A quiet restaurant with good food and good drink, a homely atmosphere that only deepened our shared mood. I had complimented him over dinner, and he did the same, commenting that I needed to do this more often.

I had a small blush, and we shared dessert, laughing over fond memories of our siblings. I even told him some embarrassing stories about my own childhood experiences, trying to contain my own giggles. I paid, on insistence, and he tipped. We had left, fingers intwined and my head on his shoulder. It was a crisp night, and I was getting more butterflies the closer we got to out spot. My cheeks were very flushed, partially from the chill in the air and partially from….I didn't even know what.

The beach was quiet, the surf soothing to hear. We sat on one of the benches, just watching and listening to the waves gently crashing on the beach. I took a deep breath, glancing towards the other side of the beach. All of them were there, Vega holding her phone, letting Wyverne see. There was Talia, though I had never met her in person yet.

My hand reached inside my coat pocket, the crushed velvet exterior smooth in my hand. I placed a hand on his knee, and dropped to mine, kneeling on the ground in front of him. He looked at me, puzzled, head tilted in confusion.

"Tarek….look, I," I took a deep shaky breath, knowing all our friends and siblings were watching. " _Fuck_ this is hard," I muttered under my breath.

"Tarek, I've known you for a long while now," I began again, a shake to my voice. "I have fallen in love again and again. Your laugh, your smile, your love. And," here I paused, taking out the ringbox, "I just want to know, one simple thing. Will you marry me?"

Tarek gasped, a hand over his lips as I opened his ringbox. His eyes became wet, and so did mine. He had a hand over his heart, the words stuck in his throat. He swallowed thickly, and reached in his own pocket.

"Oh honey. Oh my sweet angel," Tarek said, his voice thick with tears. "Of course I will!" And he produced his own ringbox, opening it. "Will you marry me?"

My breath was stolen from me. The tears ran freely, warm against my cold skin. I nodded my head, afraid to talk. I hugged him, and he hugged me back, fierce and tight. We placed the rings on our fingers, and as out lips brushed, a chorus of whoops and hollers could be heard.

Talia and Vega ran over, wrapping us up in giant hugs. I could hear Verne coughing, and when she was able she gave us her excitement, babbling in about five different languages. I chuckled, gently dabbing at my eyes with a tissue.

Salia and Muriel were here. Muriel, whom we all called Mountain Man with affection, was taller than me and Tarek, but we still loved him. Salia came and almost tackled us in hugs, babbling about how she was so glad it fucking happened.

Asra and Julian came last, smirks on both their faces. Julian gave us hugs, wearing normal clothes for once. Asra hugged Tarek, thankful that Alphus had someone else to peck at for a change. The spoiled peacock somehow adored me, though Asra couldn't figure out why.

Talia had pulled me aside. We were making small talk, just trying to get some stuff out of the way and better know each other. I had laughed at something when Tarek sidled up to me, kissing my neck and leaving some lipstick marks against my skin. I chuckled a little, unfazed at this point in our relationship.

"I know how much you love each other," Talia said, running my knee with her hand. "I fully support this. You boys can have my blessing." I took her hand in mine, brushing her knuckles with my lips, a wordless thank you. Tarek hugged her, his face buried in her shoulder. I loved this girl already.

Tarek, in all his excitement, grabbed my waist and picked me up. I yelped, my voice higher than I'd liked as he spun me around. I had my hands on his shoulders, a breathless laugh on my lips. He lowered me, and his lips brushed mine.

I couldn't help this feeling, this warmth and fire and light in every inch of me. Wyverne had since gone to sleep, per Julian's orders, but I would be sure to tell her later. In time, I hoped we could plan a wedding together, and maybe a cute honeymoon somewhere special.


End file.
